Cave Canem
by Nammboo
Summary: There are lots of things that are telling Ivy to run, her rapid breath, that painful feeling in the pit of her gut, the little voice in her head screaming for her to get away and that cruel grin of his. Yet, she doesn't, because of the one thing that is telling her that she has to stay, that she has to help. That moment of uncertainty just before the dog starts to bark.
1. First Contact

Welcome to Bullworth Academy, where parents that just can't be bothered dump their 'challenged' offspring. Full of lunatics and psycho's it isn't exactly heaven on earth. In fact, a lot of us would say that we'd rather be living on the streets than be here.

But here we are, unable to leave the diabolical clutches of Crabblesnitch until we turn 16 when we can drop out, or, if we so wish, stay on. I was one of the few that decided to do the unthinkable, stay on. I knew that this place was a dump, I knew that the teachers were crap and the students were … Unpleasant but I wanted more from life than the trailer park down the road.

Ivy Evans, I had just turned sixteen in May and Halloween had just passed. Living in this hellhole, making it the best I could until the summer of my 18th.

I had managed, thus far, to go through my school life without being sucked into one of the cliques. Some people see it as a curse; I see it as a blessing. As many people just want to be noticed so they go along with whichever clique they suit whereas I just want to survive.

I was thinking this as I was casually watching some students fighting, blood and teeth spilling everywhere.

There they were, at it again, beating the life out of each other and who was in the middle of it all? Hopkins, of course. It would be abnormal for him not to be at the epicentre of every major school brawl. This time it was with the preps, he was doing surprisingly well considering that they all do boxing.

Left and right hooks being thrown about, most missing Jimmy but some landing and you could almost hear the crunch. Yes, for all their inbreeding has made them brainless it has also increased their physical skill, it seems, although it appears that this does not apply to Pinky, who is completely useless overall. For all the effort that the preps were putting in Jimmy was clearly going to come out on top, I find it hard to feel sympathy for them though, after what he did to the majority of Russell's faction you'd think they'd know better. Of course it may just be an overdose of ego crushing common sense.

If you're wondering where I was while observing this _riveting_ primal display of manliness, I was sat atop the wall which surrounded the prep hideout. I had originally climbed up there to get away from some thick-headed bullies that had been chasing me. The bullies took one look at the battle before them and didn't think twice before turning around and running away, already had their dose of Hopkins' beatings. I saw them all beating chunks out of each other and decided to sit for a while, relax and watch, eating the chocolate which had popping candy that was in my pocket.

They hadn't noticed me yet, although it was becoming more doubtful that most of them would, seeing at they were dropping like flies at the merciless fists of Jimmy Hopkins. I chuckled as he sent one flying into a wall, a blur of obnoxious Aquaberry then splat, face first into brick and cement. I wondered why Hopkins did all this, standing up to the cliques… I knew something went down in the school basement with that Gary Smith guy but I didn't bother going, despite the efforts of Gary rounding everyone in the school up like sheep, it didn't seem like my kind of thing.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" I heard a voice below me say, I looked down to see the guy I was just thinking about. "To see gorilla's fight it out for dominance." He sniggered, I could tell there was something up with this guy – I mean, apart from the batshit crazy rumours about him and what happens when he'forgets' to take his medication – there was something in his eye, a look, a gleam, that told me he was trouble.

I jumped down from the wall, I was about half a foot in front of him and I had underestimated his height. He towered over me with that evil, demented look on his face that sent a cold shiver down my spine. I studied his face for a moment before saying anything, my eyes tracing the scar down his right eye, along his lips which created such a cruel grin and his chiselled jaw-line.

He was an interesting one, but I knew I couldn't allow myself to be intrigued by him, the feeling he gave me told me he was not one to be messed with.

"Fascinating to you maybe, I however, find it to be completely boring." I said not taking my stare off him, not giving in to the ever present screaming in my head to look away from him, in the fear he might knife me at any given moment. I was stubborn; I refused to let him know he intimidated me. This was something I knew he fed off other people.

He sniggered again. "Yes, to you, someone who it does not benefit in the slightest, it could be perceived as boring." I arched my eyebrows in surprise, this benefited him?

I looked back at the fight behind me, it was almost over, Jimmy was going to win. This confused me, I thought he hated Jimmy? Why would he like the fact he was winning in a fight? I looked back at him with an apparent confused expression on my face, this obviously amused him.

"This benefits you?"

"I wouldn't have bothered stirring up some shit to get them to fight otherwise." He wasn't looking at me anymore, he was observing the fight with an expression that told me that he enjoyed watching people suffer.

"I thought that Hopkins was the one causing all the trouble, but I guess I was wrong." I looked up at him, making no effort to hide my distaste for him. He didn't seem to care in the slightest.

"Yes, you were." Gary Smith was a very smug, sadistic character. I had never really interacted with him before this, I doubted I ever would – he seemed to have bigger fish to fry and that suited me down to the ground.

"Right, well, I'll leave you to your little project. Excuse me." I said, walking briskly past him, I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away, picking up the pace as the distance between us increased.

As I reached the centre fountain and turned the corner swiftly I involuntarily shuddered, his immense creepiness being able to reach me even here. I looked up from boring holes into the ground with my eyes in deep thought – mainly trying to think up how to keep myself as far away from that guy as humanly possible and noticed a prefect staring at me. The usual disgust painted on his face, identical to any prefect that came across a student _breathing_.

I gave him a quick glare before moving on, he shouted something back at me but I paid no attention, probably just something about me keeping my nose clean, I had heard it all before. I just focused on walking towards my dorm. That guy had some affect on people.

When I got to my dorm the only girl there was Beatrice. She had completed chemistry which was the last class of today earlier than everyone else so didn't need to go back to class unless she wanted to, she usually did which is why I was so confused to see her there.

"Hey Bea, why are you here and not at chemistry?" I took a glance at my watch and noticed that class had just started. She looked up from the book she was reading as she sat on the couch in our dorm.

"Oh, well, Dr. Watt's said that …" She suddenly looked very sheepish and couldn't look at me in the eye. I sat down next to her, shoving my shoes off with my feet.

"Yeah?" I pressed her for the rest of the story.

"I couldn't go back… Because I went too often." She went scarlet in the face. "He said that it wasn't normal and I had to go out and pursue hobbies, make friends… That sort of thing." I found it hard to control my laughter, but I did.

"You did just go during the chemistry period, right, Bea?"

"Um… Well, sometimes I would stay behind and keep Dr. Watt company." I couldn't help it, I let out a little snigger.

"Are you sure he saw it as 'company' and not you trying to come onto him?" Beatrice looked absolutely mortified and opened her mouth to say something, paused, closed it, and looked away, burying her face back into her book. "You weren't, were you?!" I gasped, horrified.

She remained silent for a few moments. "W-Well, Dr. Watt is a charming, intelligent, kind man – he noticed my aptitude for chemistry and rewarded it! I was sure… He could see the woman in me too…"

I turned to face straight ahead, my lips straining to keep the laughter back, eyes wide and barely breathing.

Beatrice is a lovely girl, really, she is, but sometimes some of the things she comes out with are just… Just…. Too much.

"Oh dear Bea, so, no more extra credit chemistry classes for you." I chuckled, closing my eyes and resting my head on the back of the sofa.

"Why aren't you in chemistry, Ivy? I thought you were still on the first section of the course!" I stared at her, expressionless.

"Yes. I know." The reason I didn't mind skipping chemistry was because I found it to be the most frustratingly challenging subject, ever. "I uh, bumped into that Gary Smith guy and he kinda freaked me out, I didn't feel like going to class after that." I said truthfully.

"Oh! He didn't hurt you, did he?!" Beatrice squealed.

"No, no. I had been watching this fight between Jimmy and these preps and-"

"Oh no! Is Jimmy hurt?! Should I go out and nurse his wounds?!" Beatrice got flustered and panicky, continued to twitter on about how she felt an obligation to go out and care for him seeing as they had this 'connection.' I knew I had lost her and just let her go on with her little fantasy. I tuned out about a minute in and started to think about everything. As I usually did.

This school, full of psycho's and bullies. How I dreamed and yearned for graduation in two years' time, then shoving the middle finger up at Crabblesnitch as I sauntered out the gates – never to return! Although, I supposed there would be quite a queue for that honour, so I would have settled for sneaking a few stink bombs in Hattrick's desk.

I could drop out of course, I was 16 and could if I wanted but going to Bullworth Academy and surviving looks pretty great on a CV – especially if you stuck out until the end. They also give pretty good qualifications from this place, for all that most of the teachers were crappy they made up for it by making the end of year exams piss easy as well. Which was a bonus.

I wanted to get somewhere in life, I didn't want to end up like most of these creeps would, sitting up in Blue Skies Industrial Park in their trailer, drinking beer and doing nothing. That was not going to be me.

After about 20 minutes realising that Beatrice was now going into some detail about what she imagined giving Jimmy a bed bath would be like I gave her some excuse about homework and left the dorm, feeling filthy and unable to get the image of Jimmy's apparently 'muscular thighs lost in a forest of manly hair' out of my head.

That statement haunts me even today.

**Thanks for reading! This is the first story I have ever put up on the internet so I am really excited about it. Please leave me feedback, good or bad - it's all helpful! **

**Thanks again!**

**Nammboo.**


	2. The Dog Barks

The next morning I woke up as I usually did, in a foul mood and completely confused. I stumbled out of bed, auburn hair doing its bird nest thing that it liked to do in the morning.

I didn't recognise this place, it wasn't my home. I analysed my surroundings. Faded pink wallpaper with what were once yellow flowers printed on it, now they just looked like yellow circles. White, hand-me-down furniture that had been so battered by previous owners they were extremely unstable and rickety. Stained pink carpet with a matching stained white rug, it took me a few minutes to realise that I _wasn't_ at home.

"Ugh, fuck." I groaned rubbing my eyes, stretching my legs and back as I did so by going up on my tip toes and straining my back. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." I walked over to my full length mirror in pain, still stiff and sore from the bed I had to sleep in which was not comfortable at all. The mirror was clean – I had made sure of that – but was just as tattered as the other furniture in my room. I didn't mind though, as long as it all served its purpose I had no reason to complain.

The reflection stared back at me with a matching look of disgust on her face, I didn't blame her. My hair was a mess and my mossy green eyes were underlined by two dark circles under them, a strap to my tank top hanging off my shoulder and one trouser to my jammie bottoms was tucked into my sock.

Yes, I had an appearance to match my mood. I was notorious in the girls dorm for my bad moods in the morning, they all steered clear of me which I thought was very wise of them. Mandy had once tried to come in and annoy me in the morning, trying to be the hotshot she thought she was. I soon knocked her off her pedestal with one swift jab to the nose, sure, I got a detention for it – had to clean Edna's shitty pots for her – but it was worth it. I was bombarded with questions from Beatrice afterwards, asking me how it felt. I bet that's another one of her less erotic fantasies. Or, maybe not less erotic, you never know with that girl.

It takes me about half an hour to get out of the horrific mood I wake up in and paint on a sympathetic, tolerating smile for the alumni at Bullworth.

I walked out of my room and down the stairs, noticing Mandy and Lola getting into some kind of argument that I didn't want to be part of so I took a b-line for the door.

"Okay Ivy, brace yourself for the worst." I said this to myself every day before I got to class, just keeping my expectations for the day at a safe and steady nil. I shook myself as I walked, sighing and glared at the horrid school building that I was approaching. I hated it but I had to tolerate it, it being my only home – if I wasn't here, I'd probably be in a homeless shelter so I had to be grateful for the little things.

I walked into English, my favourite subject, and sat in my usual seat back row, seat furthest from the door. Mr Halloway hadn't come in yet, a knot in my stomach tightened as I thought of him drinking himself silly again – endangering his job here. He and Ms Phillip's were the only nice teachers here that could actually do their jobs; I would hate it if he got fired. I couldn't even blame him for drinking, if I had a job at a place like this so would I!

I scanned the classroom, looking to see who bothered showing up today. Eunice, Bucky, Tad, Bif, Chad, Pete and… That Gary.

Gary was sat in the seat directly in front of me. I hadn't even noticed him when I walked in but I hadn't seen him come in after me either so he must have been there. I suddenly felt a chill run up my spine and I got goose bumps.

Luckily, his attention wasn't on me. He was sitting side on in his seat, staring at the floor. He looked… Sad? No, confused? No… I couldn't tell… He looked something but it wasn't anything I could think of. He just looked… Blank.

This was very strange; I had never seen Gary like this before. He was always so aware of everything that was going on around him, so observant. He looked dead, almost. It was weird and made me shiver even more… But, I kind of felt sorry for him, for a moment. He definitely had a hint of sadness in whatever expression he was trying to pull – the only thing was that it didn't seem like he was trying at all, which made me a little sad too.

"A-Alright _hic_ class. You got that _hic_ assignment I gave you yester-_hic_-day?" Mr Halloway came in, drunk. The whole class winced a little when he walked straight into his desk then fell over his chair. Then apparently falling asleep.

"Right, someone shut the door, I'll get him upright in his seat." Tad stood up and walked over to the now unconscious Halloway. "Can't let Hattrick see him like this." He said. Chad got up and closed the door so no one could see in the classroom. I smiled to myself, even though the preps and jocks all had a sense of false self-importance and didn't like the way Halloway treated us all as equals – not taking favour with the rich kids or the athletes – We all banded together when he was like this, knowing that he was a good guy.

"What are you smiling about?" I was snapped out of my trance by the boy sitting in front of me. I blinked a few times as I looked at him.

"Uh, nothing." I didn't know what to say. At first I thought he asked aggressively and as if he were going to make fun of me but when I looked up I noticed he wasn't looking at me with a snarl and realised he hadn't said it in a horrible way either, he had sounded interested. "I mean, well, I was kind of just thinking how nice this is." I corrected myself, feeling bad for shooting him down when this was one of the rare times he wasn't acting like a creep.

"What's nice?" He snorted. I could sense that the Gary that I knew hadn't completely gone but continued the conversation anyway.

"Us all sort of, coming together for Mr Halloway's sake. I mean, we're usually all fighting but we silently agree to help him, despite our differences." I said, sort of getting carried away with myself.

He snorted again, that incredibly unattractive snort.

"Right!" He began, laughing. "This place, no matter what way you put it, is a constant battlefield. No one, not that old drunk or any famsy pansy little girl with delusions of world peace would ever change that." He said, a nasty tone to his voice. "The only reason they're doing this is to get a free period without getting harassed by prefects, don't you get it? Are you that thick?" He sneered.

For a moment I couldn't actually comprehend how mean he had just been. I thought it was a joke and was waiting him to laugh, but he didn't. He just stared at me with an evil smirk on his face, waiting for a reaction.

When I realised that that is what he was waiting for, a reaction, I decided then and there he wasn't going to get one, so I ignored him. I looked down at my assignment and started writing.

He must have been waiting for a minute or so, still thinking that I was going to say something, he must have thought I was so thick I needed a minute to think of a reply, but I didn't. I knew exactly what I wanted to say to him but restrained myself. Knowing that no words could get to him as much as none at all.

"What are you? Deaf?" He spat, his words sounded poisonous but I didn't look up at him. Trying to concentrate on the letters in front of me. I could feel him seething with anger. "Hello? Freak show? Do you have ears?! I'm speaking to you!" He shouted, getting some attention from others in the class. The others that were smart enough knew to not even look, they could have been dragged into it too if he was in the right mood.

I decided to tease him a little, I looked up and from the corner of my eye I saw that evil grin return, but my eyes went straight passed him as I stared at the ceiling, tapping my chin with my pencil, murmuring to myself.

He knew that I knew what I was doing, he knew that I knew I was infuriating him and he also knew that I didn't care either.

This of course, only added fuel to the psychotic fire.

"D'aaw, look at the little girl playing dumb! Only thing is she doesn't have to play it!" He was trying to get a rise out of me and surprisingly he wasn't. I wasn't angry anymore, I found it far too amusing to be angry. I did decide however, to do something that would either a) amuse me even further or b) get me a black eye.

I looked up at him with an unimpressed expression on my face, I caught a glimpse of his terrifyingly furious look before it quickly changed to cruel and expectant, thinking he had got me.

"Gary," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Your personality, it bores me." I said flatly looking at him directly in the eye; he looked like he had just seen Edna naked. "The way you do things, unoriginal." His eye twitched. "If I had any interest in playing your pathetic little game, I would have but alas, you are about as interesting as a brick. Does it not tell you something that I would rather do my English assignment than talk with you? Leave me alone." I didn't look at his expression just went straight back to work although I really wanted to.

I heard a few jocks and preps in the class laugh, then I immediately felt bad. I mean, when it was just me taking the piss it was fine, I could have actually been being serious but now other people were laughing _at_ him…

I took a sly glance up and he was staring at floor again, side on but I could definitely tell his expression.

Anger. No! … _Hatred._

_Oh bollocks, I've made an enemy of the school psychopath._ I suddenly felt what I should have felt when I first noticed him, fear.

I should have kept my mouth shut; I shouldn't have even looked at him, but I did and there was no going back now. Sighing deeply, I stared up at him and as soon as I did his head snapped towards me, everyone else had gone back to their own thing and we had a moment of privacy.

"Right, I'm sorry. I was just trying to get to you for being an ass and it worked." I said, not looking at him properly. He didn't say anything. "Beat me up, harass me, whatever. I'm sorry."

Gary didn't say anything, just got up and left. This scared the shit out of me even more.

When class finished I felt like I had to keep an eye out for him everywhere, I couldn't relax. I was sure he was going to jump out at me, kill me or something.

But, the whole day went by and I didn't see him again – at all! This was freakier than what I had expected.

I decided not to accept Beatrice's invite to go and play some Grotto's and Gremlin's with her and her friends and just go back to the dorm instead – I was glad I had the Gary excuse because otherwise I would have had to go, I've declined too many of her offers… I was starting to feel bad. By no means am I a nerd and by no means are they nice but I can tolerate Bea so when we're in the dorm we stick together, I protect her from Mandy and she entertains me.

I usually was alone, there wasn't really a clique for misfits. I mean, I'm sure they could form one but I doubt I would have like any of them; I didn't really like many people.

I sighed, a thing I did a lot, you may have noticed. Walked into the dorm and embraced the smell of old ladies and dust. Feeling a bit safer at last.

I headed upstairs, deciding to get some work done whilst waiting for my impending doom.

I was sat at my old desk for hours pouring all my energy into my homework, trying not to think of Gary and his scheme's for my demise.

_The formula to this is wrong so I need to rethink it, but if I rethink it then the answer itself is wrong and I need to start back from square one! Ugh, whatever, next question… _I thought to myself, quickly getting bored. I started reading the next question but was losing myself into other thoughts. _I hope I actually didn't hurt his feelings…_ I was doing the one thing I had tried to steer myself away from, thinking about Gary.

_I mean, sure he's on some medication for ADD but that doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings right? I was really horrible to him. I've never been that horrible before, to anyone… He must really, really hate me now._

I threw my pencil down onto my desk in defeat and covered my face with my hand, groaning loudly. I had tried so hard not to feel bad, not to think about him at all but he just creeping back up into my thoughts. I felt so bad.

Determined that he wasn't going to come up again I shook Gary Smith from my mind. I spun around in my chair and stood up, went over to my wardrobe and was going to get changed. I hadn't bothered when I got in because I am naturally lazy and that posed too much of an effort to be worth it. As I opened the doors to my wardrobe I looked over to the clock that hung on my wall, 3:48am. I grunted as I thought of how miserable I was going to be in the morning. I just couldn't get to sleep. Mostly because I was freaked in case Gary climbed through my bedroom window. If he was he was probably going to wait till I went to bed, this thought is another possible factor in why I was up so late but now I was too tired to care if he did.

Sighing, I pulled out my pyjamas and flung them onto my bed, I started unbuttoning my shirt but then remembered my bedroom window's curtains weren't drawn. Walking over I grabbed the coarse fabric and had almost completely drawn them when I noticed something, or rather, someone.

Some weirdo was sitting on the cold stone steps leading up to the school, I stared at them for a moment thinking about how freezing they must be! Prefects went to bed at 2:30am so there wasn't even anyone to knock some sense into them.

Then I was torn.

I felt like I should go down, shout at them for being an idiot and drag them back to whichever dorm they belonged, saying something about getting pneumonia. On the other hand who sits out there at this time, in this cold?! I mean it would have to be someone who really just didn't care about themselves and if that was the case why would they care about breaking my jaw or not?

_You have to be a complete nutcase to sit out there, no way am I…_ My thoughts trailed off as a small idea popped into my head. _Fuck. Please, God, don't tell me…_ I squinted hard at the small figure… I could barely make out anything, brown hair, tall build, sweater vest… I didn't care anymore, there was too many things that could have meant was him for me not to care.

As crazy as it sounds, as crazy as I felt, I found myself shoving my coat on and sneaking out – going to knock some sense into Gary Smith.

Or, that was the plan.

**Thanks for reading!**

**A review would be great, to tell me what you'd like to see, think is gonna happen or how I could improve!**

**Much love,**

**Nammboo x**


	3. A Helping Hand?

I ran down the path from the girls dorm to the small circular cross roads, the cold night air stabbing at my lungs. I had been dizzy with tiredness only a few moments ago and now I was pumped full of adrenalin.

I didn't even know if it was him but he was the only thing running through my mind. I supposed it was guilt that was making me run to help him, the fact that me might be sitting on those steps with a bottle of pills or a knife or something to end it all because I had been an almighty cunt to him this morning.

I couldn't handle that_, I couldn't._

I silenced my breath as I reached the crossroads and walked as quietly as I could towards the wall, pressing my back up against it so whoever it was sitting there couldn't see me. I took a moment to calm myself, trying to think of what I'd do if it was Gary…

I took a quick peek, saw that the person had his hands in his hair, looking downwards as he sat on the steps. I tip toed closer cautiously, trying to get a better look.

My heart was in my throat, a part of me wanted to lunge on him if it was Gary and just either hug him apologising profusely or punch his lights out – whichever I felt when I saw him.

Taking a few more tentative steps forward my worst fears were confirmed, it was Gary. That stupid, arrogant idiot!

He wasn't holding anything, like a knife, I couldn't see his face because it was facing down and then I was stuck for what to do. He was so proud, so smug, so arrogant that if he knew I was there he would never let me see him like this… Looking so vulnerable. I was rooted to the spot, unable to take my eyes off him as he leaned against the wall, looking completely defeated. I didn't want to run, I didn't want to go up to him either. I… I didn't know what I wanted, I didn't want to leave him like this but I was afraid, afraid that he would snap at me like an abused, injured dog.

He stood up and stumbled slightly, as if he were drunk, and almost tumbled down the stairs. I gasped, taking a few quick steps forward then stopping abruptly when I saw him regain his balance. He was rubbing his head, holding onto the railing and then slowly looked up at me.

Our eyes met and for a second, only a second, he didn't register that I was there at all – his eyes soft, hurt, confused, beautiful. Then the moment passed, he blinked and his eyebrows furrowed together, his eyes becoming cold and that dangerous gleam ignited in them again and he started advancing towards me.

As fast as his expression had changed, fear had stabbed me right in the chest. My breathing was uncontrollable and I backed away quickly only to be met with a solid thump on the back from the wall.

"You like spying on people, do you, friend?!" He bellowed, oh God. He was going to kill me, I knew it. I had never been so terrified in all my life, the words caught in my throat as if they were too scared to come out and face him too.

"N-No…" I whispered.

"Is that how you get your kicks? Does that fuel your filthy little fantasies?!" He got right up close to me, looking terrifyingly insane as ever. "People like you; cowardly, snivelling little people like you infuriate me!" He hollered. He was definitely going to wake up the prefects, the teachers, someone.

"I wasn't-" I began but of course, he didn't let me finish.

"You weren't what? Going to masterbate over me out in the open? Wait till you got inside? How admirable! No, really, thank you!" I could feel myself starting to get angry.

"I-"

"Shut up! Just shut up! You're all the same! You-"

I slapped my hands over his mouth in a split second decision.

"I saw you, from my window sitting there on your own and I wanted to make sure you were okay!" I shouted, eyes closed, terrified that he was going to hit me. My hands never moved from his mouth. "I was too scared to come up to you though, to make sure you were okay. I was afraid that… You would hurt me. You're right, I am a coward but…" I opened my eyes and looked at him, he looked surprised but the lack of overpowering rage didn't calm my nerves. "…I was right, I'm sorry! I guess some people just don't want to be helped!" I said, shoving him away and sliding down the wall, covering my head with my arms, shaking.

I still couldn't move, I couldn't get up and run away. I didn't know why – I'd like to say it was fear, but, it wasn't. I didn't want to leave him, although any sane person would follow their instincts and run a mile.

"You…" He didn't finish his sentence; I looked up at him to see him looking down at me. I took a deep breath and stood up shakily.

"I… Don't understand you and it annoys me." I said honestly, "But, I don't think you understand yourself either, so it makes me feel a little better." I smiled at him weakly. "I want to understand you or, at least, help you to understand yourself." He remained silent, his dark brown eyes piercing my green. "I don't know why, so please don't ask me – I've been asking myself the same thing to no avail… but I really want to help you, Gary. I want to help you to help yourself."

He didn't say anything for a bit, he looked confused and I didn't blame him. I was confused by what I had just said, I just let everything out, the big ball of tension that was held in my chest relaxed – finally being able to tell someone how I felt. "And I thought I was the crazy one." He chuckled, covering his face with his hand, turning around and walking away.

I watched him for a moment, his shoulders shaking a small sound of laughter coming from him.

"You… You're not crazy Gary." I said softly, he stopped walking as soon as I had spoken.

I got up and headed towards him.

"Look, I barely know you, you probably haven't even heard of me but… When I first met you the other day, I thought you were crazy…" He laughed quietly to himself. "But now, even if you are Gary, I want to help you." He looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes suspicious.

"You're a creep." He snapped.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think I am Gary." I laughed to his surprise. "See, Gary… You're not the only one with problems; you'd be shocked to hear." I laughed again, walking past him and sitting on the steps where he had just been. I smiled at him and patted next to me, gesturing for him to join me.

He looked hesitant at first but then decided to come and sit beside me, silently, listening.

"I have this thing, I really can't help it, but when I make friends with someone I become really motherly and protective over them." I sighed looking up at the night sky. "I've lost a lot of friends because of this. Before Bullworth, I went to a private school, I had a small group of friends but they couldn't really handle my over-bearing motherly nature… So they all left me."

I looked over at him and he was staring at the ground, his favourite pastime apparently. I smiled at him and continued.

"I don't class you as a friend but when I see someone in need of help, I get that instinct back again. I don't want to but I do." Gary looked at me briefly then back at the ground. "It's unexplainable but also genuine and an honest feeling that I have."

"Why?" He croaked.

"Like I said, I don't even know really… I mean, you're not exactly nice or friendly, are you?" He laughed which made me smile a bit.

"Yeah, I suppose not." He ran his hand through his thick brown hair and sighed.

"I can't stop it, so no matter how horrible you are to me I'll still care." I said. "I still care about my friends back at my old school, it's quite annoying actually."

"But they hurt you…" He looked at me and I shrugged.

"I dunno, I still do. So, my point is, nothing can stop me caring about you Gary and I genuinely want to help you. Hell, I wouldn't have come out here tonight if I didn't think it was you sitting here."

"That's dumb." The insults were becoming smaller and less frequent which I took to be a good sign.

"Yes, well, my help is there if you choose to take it. It's totally your choice." I stood up and started walking away.

"Wait, what?" Gary stood as well but didn't follow. I swung around on my heels as I walked, facing him.

"I reckon too many people have tried to force 'help' on you throughout your life which is why you're so hostile but it's different this time. You're in control here, Gary, you get to choose if you take my help, or not." I turned around again, "Please go back to your dorm Gary so you'll be warm." I huffed. "Good night, sleep well." I called before turning the corner, taking a quick glance at him, giving him a small wave and a smile.

It was almost half four when I collapsed onto my rock hard bed.

"Oww." I moaned as I rolled over, rubbing my now sore face. I stared at my ceiling as I wondered if I had just made an idiot of myself, if the next day the whole school would know about my secret 'motherly' side and I would never be able to hear the end of it. I wondered if I had just sabotaged any chance of sticking it out till the end of school…

I groaned and sat up, shuffling over to my window and peeking out. I just saw Gary jump over the wall towards the boys' dorm, I smiled contently as I closed my curtains and started getting ready for bed.

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	4. The Student, The Genius, The Conman

I had gone all morning without seeing Gary once, he seemed to disappear frequently – just another quirky little trait he had, I supposed. I tried not to take too much notice of it though and keep myself on track with my classes, protecting Beatrice from the world – the usual.

I went to the dreaded chemistry and failed spectacularly as per the norm, surprised I haven't blown an arm or a leg off yet, and then decided to have my lunch on the bleachers. Beatrice decided not to join me in fear of attracting any attention from the dreaded psycho-whore Mandy.

So, I was sat here on my own eating my poorly constructed ham and cheese sandwich as I gazed out onto the football field, where a lot of the jocks were training.

It was a very grey day; dark heavy clouds loomed over, threatening to thunder down at any given moment. Despite the gloomy atmosphere I was feeling quite positive, my secret hadn't been blurted about the school – no one had come up to me to ridicule me about it or even mention it at all – so I figured Gary hadn't told anyone. I smiled and took another bite of my sandwich.

I made a point of going out to town and buying sandwiches and stuff for my lunch, I refused to eat and of the gruel Edna 'cooked.' Although the things that I could afford weren't exactly the highest of quality, this cheese was a bit stiff and the ham smelt a bit funny – but I'd rather be eating a slightly stale sandwich than unknowingly eat any of Edna's bodily fluids.

"Hey, Mother Teresa." I heard a voice say behind me, I turned around to see Gary standing on the bleacher above mine. "What are you doing?" He didn't look angry or creepy like he usually did, just like a normal person which for Gary was a pretty big thing I supposed.

I couldn't speak 'cause I had just taken a big bite of my lunch, I tried to muffle something but he just laughed. Huffing slightly I pointed at my sandwich and then at my obviously full mouth and turned back around, continued chewing my mouthful.

"It's all happening here, isn't it?" He said sarcastically, sitting down on his bleacher, not next to me.

"Yeah, it is." I said after finishing. "But that's Bullworth for you." I took a smaller bite this time, in case we continued talking but we didn't. We sat in silence for a minute, just watching the jocks do their thing and I ate my sandwich. I felt pretty comfortable sitting here like this with him; I didn't feel like he was going to hurt me on a whim, which I think was a good thing.

"So, I'm going to accept your offer, on one condition." Gary said suddenly, I turned around and looked at him.

"Mhm?" Mid chew.

"If I say I don't want it anymore you leave me alone, don't look at me, don't talk to me – I'll act like you don't exist. Got it?" It was pretty extreme but I figured so was he so it suited him. I nodded and heaved myself up to his bleacher.

"Deal?" I put my hand out for him to shake; he looked at it then at me, grinned evilly and took it.

"Deal." I grinned back at him. Something warm and fuzzy came over me, like I was getting a hug from a hot water bottle. As I was shaking his hand I got goose bumps again – but not the same kind as before.

We spoke for a while about nothing in particular; I never knew how intelligent he was until now. He was telling me about his ideas, his plans for the future – they all, whilst very ambitious, were exciting and seemed completely achievable for someone as smart and charming as Gary.

The list was endless and a little overwhelming but I tried to follow as best as I could, always making sure he knew that I was interested and wanted to know more. Which I did but I also knew he suffered from paranoia at times so had to make this very clear. I smiled and nodded as he went on and on, enjoying having a friend other than Beatrice to be with.

The things he was telling me they weren't as crazy or cruel as I had expected them to be, sure, a _lot_ of them were but some of them – albeit starting off evil – had very justified and admirable reasons for doing so.

"Wow… _Wow_…" Was all I could say, staring at him with wide eyes. "That's… Wow." I chuckled and he seemed very pleased with himself.

"What can I say; I'm a man with ambition." He chuckled.

"That you are, if you put your mind to it I'm sure it'll work out for you." He looked at me for a moment with a frown, trying to decide something. I waited patiently and expectantly for him to say what he wanted to say.

"You fancy ditching school for the rest of the day?" I wasn't at all surprised that he suggested this, for all his dreams he didn't seem too fond on working for them at the moment. He seemed pretty focussed on whatever little project he had going on with that Jimmy guy.

"Sure, why not. Where do you fancy?" Without saying another word he grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the bleachers and up the stairs leading to the gym. "Uh, where are we going Gary?" I asked feebly, being pulled along like some sort of rag doll.

"Oh, somewhere fun, you'll see."

"I'd like to say that I believed you, but…"

Before I knew it we were both on bikes and cycling up to Old Bullworth Vale, I kept up with him no problem, in fact, I figured I could've beat him in a race – for all his intelligence he didn't seem that physically strong.

He came to a sudden halt in front of the boxing club, where the preps hung out.

I looked at the grand building then at Gary who wore a crooked smile as got off his bike and reaching into his pocket and brought out – _eggs?!_

"Why do you ha-" I began but he gave me a look that told me he was unimpressed that I had to ask.

"We're going to egg it, thick-o." He said, shoving a couple of eggs into my hands. "Then say we saw Hopkins do it."

"What? Why?" I was so confused, was this a part of the mysterious plan he had with Jimmy?

"So they'll go ballistic at him, of course. They'll retaliate; he'll beat them up – just another step closer until he has control over them." He threw the first egg with such force that it made a very satisfying crunch. "Go on, give it a go."

I was confused but went along anyway, I had never egged anything before so I decided to look at it as a new experience – not as a way of getting Jimmy in shit.

"But, what if we get caught doing it by the preps?" My first attempt was feeble as I sort of half chickened out mid-throw, landing still fully intact on the ground a couple of feet in front of me. Gary tsk'ed and rolled his eyes, picking up the egg.

"Watch and learn, friend." He threw it with amazing speed and it landed on a second floor window. "It's not likely that we will get caught, they should all be at school and if they skip during school time they mostly go to Harrington House." He watched me throw my second and it splattered all over the door, I grinned and jumped for joy a little – looking at him for his approval and he nodded.

"On the off chance?" I asked, watching him throw his third egg.

"On the off chance, we say he paid us." Wow, he really did have this all planned out. I watched him for a moment, finding it hard to concentrate on egg throwing … I didn't know why… "Hey, no slacking! Back to work! You're meaning to be helping me, remember?"

"Ah! Yeah! Sorry!" I snapped back to reality and in my startled state I threw an egg so hard it went right through the top left window. I stood, stunned at what I had just done, somewhere I could hear Gary cackling at either the window or my reaction to it. "Wh-What do we do?" I ask him, noticing a police car rolling around the corner.

"We RUN!" He laughed, jumping on his bike and cycling off just as I heard a _Hey, you, stop!_ From somewhere behind us, I didn't bother to look back as I fumbled to pick my bike up and hobble away on it.

It didn't take us long to shake whoever was chasing us off, the police didn't seem to be very dedicated to catching hoodlums in Bullworth.

"Okay, that was a little fun… I mean, terrifying but also fun." I wheezed as I sat on the concrete in the car pack, leaning against a wall.

"That was magnificent Ivy! Right, now we-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hang on a second, I think I'm due a little explanation here." I stood and walked over to him.

"You didn't get enough explanation back there? All you did was ask questions, it was so annoying." I huffed at his statement.

"Yeah well I'd get prepared because there's gonna be more." Gary groaned and rolled his eyes again, turning away from me and walking a bit. "So, why do you want to get Jimmy in control of the preps? I thought you hated him?" I walked after him.

"I do hate him. I'm doing this because I hate him. Not just the preps – all the cliques!" I caught up to him and was walking beside him, this did not help, he created more questions.

"Okay, well, wouldn't that put him in a pretty powerful position? He'd be king of the school!" I exclaimed, either Gary was extremely smart or I was extremely slow. I refused to believe the latter so I went with the first, for my ego's sake.

"_Yes_, it would, well done Ivy!" He nodded his head, over enunciating his words like he was speaking to a child. "Once he has though I'm going to take it from him." He said as if it were as simple as that, I wanted to ask more but decided against it. I followed him for a while in silence, catching my breath.

I started to think again, about everything, as I often did.

_Right, so Gary has this personal vendetta against Jimmy Hopkins… Why, I don't really know and I'm not sure I should get involved with it either… Of course, if Gary wants me to I won't really have a choice. _

I sighed, not knowing that Gary was staring at me as we walked.

_Was I already involved? I mean, I had just egged the boxing club which was a part of the plan he had… So I guess I was a little. _

I was so confused, Gary confused me, his plans confused me – I had confused myself by thinking too much, _again_. I shook myself of confusion and stopped thinking about his plans and turned to face him, to find him looking at me.

"What are you thinking about?" My eyes widened, it was like he knew I was thinking about him.

"You." I said honestly.

"And?"

"And, I'm wondering what I've got myself into." I laugh. At first he seemed a bit offended but when I started laughing he realised that I had been joking. Still seemed a bit disconcerted though.

"Don't flatter yourself; you're only here with me because I allowed it." He snarled at me, I sighed and nodded, forgetting that control freaks had a tough time getting jokes.

Suddenly there was an uproar as Derby and Bif the prep leaders were shouting at Johnny and Peanut the greasers. I took a slide long glance at Gary and noticed his cruel grin back as he advanced towards the four, his charming swagger on.

I sighed, watching him convince them as to who the culprit was without having to put much effort in. It was clear to me that the majority of the school underestimated Gary and his intelligence, in comparison we all look completely thick. I was kind of glad I was on the other side and not being conned by him.

Then a strange thought struck me, something I should have thought of much earlier than this.

What if he _was _conning me? What if I was just a pawn in his little plan?

What if, to him, I was no better than Jimmy Hopkins?

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	5. He's a Man on a Mission

When I returned to Ivy after discussing the culprit of the boxing clubs notorious egger she was acting differently, she wouldn't look me in the eye and wasn't talking much either. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong, even when I _demanded _she did she just looked at me with this pathetic smile on her face and told me it was nothing.

The whole time I was explaining what I had said to the preps and greasers to get them to believe me she just stood there, looking at me with this stupid glazed over expression on her face. She almost looked sad. I couldn't think of a reason why she changed so suddenly and it was pissing me off!

Maybe she was intimidated by how easily I convinced them… But she didn't look scared, so that couldn't be it.

I was past caring now, she had fucked off back to her dorm saying she promised Beatrice Trudeau that they'd spend some time together after school and I was quite happy with that. I couldn't be bothered with her hormonal mood swings.

So I was sat in the boys' dorm, in my room, on my bed staring at my ceiling and thinking about what my next step would be. I had exhausted any avenue which would lead to the preps and Jimmy hating each other to their full extent now, time would take care of the rest. So I was thinking about what clique to target next.

Or, I would have been if her fucking face hadn't been popping up every five minutes in my head!

I couldn't concentrate on my schemes because that sad, pouty little expression that she was pulling kept distracting me. Not knowing why she had changed suddenly was overpowering all my other thoughts that were rapidly racing around in my head, each of them screaming out to be heard first.

Ivy was sabotaging the very thing she had promised to help!

Then the paranoia started to kick in.

_She might have just been dared to see how long she could stick it with the school psychopath and had enough. Although that's unlikely seeing as her only friend is that Beatrice and she is about as square as they get._

_She might have been all emotional last night, as girls get, and all that bullshit about her motherly protective side was just that, __**bullshit! **_

_She might have been interested to see just how psychotic I was and got scared off. Quite right, whore._

She said that she _cared_ and that she wanted to _help_ but then she turns on me, she's a moron just like the rest of them, either that or she's actually a sneaky bitch. For now, although she doesn't know it, she's on a trail period until I can figure her out a bit better.

I didn't get why her reluctance to talk to me bugged me so much, we didn't talk much anyway. There were always these big gaps filled with silence that during I hated with a passion, I would look at her during them and she looked… Peaceful, calm and comfortable, like they didn't bother her at all – this was the total opposite of me. I hated silence and not knowing what people are thinking, it could mean she hated me and didn't want to talk, she could find me annoying or boring – not that any of that really bothers me but it's the not knowing which is annoying.

I sat up in my bed, feeling pleased with myself having thought up a short-term plan to deal with little Miss Perfect. I felt I would severely have to test her loyalty to me.

And what better way to test Ivy's loyalty than a total invasion of personal space?

I had managed to sneak past the nosey prefect and slid into the front door of the building. I had just missed Mrs. Peabody as she walked past the door, heading towards the stairs and luckily not noticing me.

It was about 8 o'clock so the girls were either in their rooms or out someplace. I walked cautiously and quietly taking a peek in the first room that I saw, shuddering in horror I saw Eunice taking off her skirt to reveal house-sized pants that would even be a bit breezy for Edna – I quickly moved on, considering going back to my own bed and cradling myself to sleep in a pool of my own tears.

The second room was shut; I didn't dare to open the door in case it wasn't Ivy so I just moved on.

The third room I came to was Beatrice Trudeau's. She was in pink pyjamas and was brushing her hair in front of a mirror; I quickly stepped inside and shut the door behind me. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed me and let out a small yelp but quietened down when I shushed her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She whispered aggressively. "Are you peeking on me?!" I scoffed as quietly as I could.

"Please four-eyes, give me some credit. Unlike you, I don't need glasses; I'd either get them checked or replace that mirror of yours if you think anyone would want to see you in those kinder garden pyjamas." She looked shocked and hurt by my statement and I knew if I wanted information out of her I either had to make it quick or start to flirt with her, I wasn't too fond of the latter option.

"Well aren't you just lovely!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, yeah, sociopath, psycho, creep, I get it. Look, which room is Ivy's?" Beatrice looked at me for a moment, apparently confused as to why I would want to know. Ivy hadn't spoken about me then.

"Why do you want to know?" She spat at me, and then suddenly gasped. "Are you here to peek on her?!" She bellowed. I shushed her whilst giving her an extremely threatening glare.

"No, she isn't exactly to my taste either." I said flatly. "I need to talk to her. I promise, that's all."

She stared at me with a suspicious gaze and pursed lips which felt like hours. "I suppose if you did try anything funny Ivy could deal with you." I chuckled.

"Oh yeah? How on earth could that pansy _deal_ with me?" I found it laughable that anyone could see her as even mildly threatening, she was as about as intimidating as Femme-boy.

"Oh, I think you'd be surprised." Beatrice said in an irritating sing song voice. "Anyway, I'll call Mrs. Peabody down into my room, I'll complain about a stomach ache or something, you go hide in the cupboard in the living room. She should still be upstairs so give her time to get down here. Also, I can only hold her for about 5 minutes before she'll be on patrol again so make sure you don't loiter in the halls." I nodded and we were both silent, "Well? Go then?"

"Aren't nerds supposed to be the brainy ones? What room, idiot?"

"Oh for goodness sake, you're just horrid." She glared at me. "Upstairs, the last room, very last room, the view from the window over-looks the school." I nodded, running out the room and into the deserted living room and found the cupboard, squeezing into it I heard four-eyes groan Mrs. Peabody's name.

About 3 years later Mrs. Peabody came hobbling down the stairs, God she was ugly.

I waited a second before running out of the closet and up the stairs; I looked down the disgustingly pink hall and saw a room on the far wall which was facing me, unlike all the other rooms which were parallel to each other.

I sprinted down the hall, hearing someone open their door I just managed to run into Ivy's room and slam the door behind me, breathing like a maniac.

For one horrible moment I shit my pants that four-eyes might have given me the wrong room on purpose seeing as I wasn't all that pleasant to her.

But my fears were soon put to rest when I heard Ivy say: "What the _fuck_ are you doing in my room, Gary?!"

"Such a warm welcome, Ivy. Honestly, you should host parties in here." I grinned at her.

She was in her pyjamas – or what must have been.

And oversized jumper, it looked like one that the jocks wore but a million years older, all worn and stitched in some places then just her bare legs and a pair of white socks.

"Gary you're- no, _we're_ going to get in so much shit if you get caught in here!" She whispered. I didn't quite hear her as I dragged my eyes up her body, analysing every part of it. "Oh fucking yay! Creepy Gary's back!" Ivy sang sarcastically as she sat on her bed, scowling at me.

"You should wear that to school, I bet you'd get a lot more attention from guys if you did. Trust me." I wagged my eyebrows at her to which she gave me her middle finger as a response. "Lovely!"

"What. Are. You. Doing. In. Here. Gary?" I chuckled; it was _fun_ to annoy her.

"Oh, nothing." I said, smiling at her as I sat by her desk. Twirling around to face her in the chair. "Y'know, I _like_ this Ivy, this Ivy is entertaining!"

"What Ivy?" She said through gritted teeth, oh this was just hilarious!

"The vulnerable Ivy in her revealing pyjamas all snuggled up in her dorm, like when you annoy a cat and it starts to hiss when you get too close." She rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, the Ivy I've been with has been pathetic and _understanding_, you were really holding out on me, weren't cha?"

"How did you not get caught?" She asked ignoring my previous statement. "Mrs. Peabody or the other girl-"

"I found four eyes' room without getting caught and she helped me get to you, I see what she means now by you being able to handle yourself!" I grinned at her approvingly, yes, I found this Ivy to be much easier to read. A lot more exciting!

"Beatrice…? How did you manag-"

"Oh, you know, my impeccable charm."

She didn't answer; she just looked at me with this weird expression on her face. A mix between exhaustion and irritation. Taking a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose she sighed deeply. "You haven't done this whole 'being friends' thing a lot before, have you?"

"Hah, friends." I scoffed. "Having friends brings emotion into the equation and we all know what a bitch emotion is." I laughed, she was staring at me with a bored expression on her face. "It ruins things, people, the greatest plans failed to be executed perfectly because of it. Sure, it makes everything feel wonderful then turns around and stabs you in the back. It's most peoples' greatest weakness."

She stood from her bed and walked over to me, "Look, Gary, I really want to help you bu-"

"Then why did you give me the old shoulder earlier? That wasn't all that helpful at all, friend." Ivy looked surprised for a moment, like she didn't know, dumb bitch.

"Right… Well, to be honest with you Gary I don't know where I stand with you. Now, even more so." She said turning away and sitting on the end of her bed, eyes to the floor.

"What do you mean?"

"… You… You accept my help, which is great but… I didn't know whether you just saw me like you see Jimmy and all the other cliques at the school… I mean, I like you Gary, I think your funny and when you're not being a royal dick I think you could be nice, when you want to be." She sighed. "The only trouble being you never seem to want to be nice… Anyway, you act like I'm an idiot, like a pawn in your game and then you get worked up so much you sneak into the girls' dorm, harass my friend and barge into my room all over the fact I was a little off with you this afternoon? Yet, then you go on about how pointless having friends is… I just… Don't understand…" She ran her hands through her hair and lay down on her bed.

"Friend? I didn't know when I accepted your help I was signing a contract to satisfy all your girly feelings!"

She looked up at me and looked a little… Upset?

"I offered my help because I wanted to understand you, I wanted to know why you were so mean and horrible… I wanted to help you because… For all that you act tough Gary-"

"Oh no! Don't go on like you _understand_ me! Let me guess, let me guess! _For all that you act tough Gary, inside, I think you're hurting, I want to heal your emotional scars Gary. Let me Gary! Let me!_" I had to say, I did a fabulous Ivy impression.

"Right then, fuck off!" She stood suddenly, pointing towards the door, looking absolutely livid.

"What?!"

"You heard me, kindly fuck off, Smith! I actually thought I could make a friend of you, help you, but you've proved me wrong there Gary so what else is there left to discuss?" I didn't know what to say and it annoyed me. I stood there looking like a brainless idiot while she stood, glaring at me. "You're so confusing! Why? If you didn't care at all about having friends, why, did you come to find out why I was off with you?"

"Because I like knowing things." I said simply.

Ivy's body relaxed, her face melting from angry to disappointed and sad. She didn't even try to hide it.

"And…" She began to laugh. "And here I thought, I was finally getting somewhere with you…" She laid down on her bed, resting her head on her pillow and facing away from the door. "You can see yourself out, I'm sure."

I didn't go anywhere though. It felt like she had won and I couldn't have that.

I leaned back on her desk and turned my head to look out the window, you could see the school steps from here…

"Right, Evans, listen up!" I said firmly, she looked up at me from her lying position. "I always expect the worst from people; it's just something I've gotten used to. Despite this, I will accept you as my… Apprentice friend." She sat up and looked at me with wide eyes. "If you screw it up, I won't be happy."

Ivy smiled, got up and before I knew it her arms were around me – forcing me into a hug. "Thank you, Gary. You idiot."

"Hey, hey, hey! Apprentice friends don't get the honour of physical contact!" I pushed her away and to my shock horror she was crying. "Wha-Why are you…"

"I don't know whether its tears of happiness, relief or an overwhelming desire to punch you." I laughed and walked past her, heading for the door.

"See ya, Evans."

"I wasn't lying when I told you how I'm an extremely over protective friend; I hope you realise I will be telling you to brush your teeth and eat your vegetables." She looked back grinning at me.

"Does Edna even know what a vegetable is?" Ivy laughed as I left her room, preparing for the mission impossible-esque journey back to the boys dorm.

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	6. Drunks, Gorilla's and Stolen Sandwiches

**HEY! I wanted to apologise for the delay in updates. For a whole month I was without my laptop due to the charger dying and me being penniless so could not replace it, then when I eventually got my new charger I had a lot of other work to catch up on.**

**I am once again sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy reading, more frequent updates to come!**

I met with Ivy at the crossroads between our two dorms the next day; she was wearing her usual school uniform; dark green skirt, white long sleeved shirt, dark green tie, white knee socks and black pumps but also a jacket that I had never seen before. It was in the style of a jock Letterman jacket but instead of the white and blue it was dark blue on the body and dark green on the sleeves. It had a weird school emblem that I didn't recognise and was a bit tatty, like that jumper she was wearing last night.

Before I had time to question her about it she bounded up to me, grinning like a child.

"What do you have first?" She asked, bouncing on her heels excitedly.

"English, the joys. You have it too, yes?" She nodded and started walking towards the school.

"Yup! Let us try to get on a bit better than we did our last English lesson we had together." Ivy looked back at me still with that stupid grin on her face; I scowled at her for even mentioning that incident and in the slight hope that it would discourage such disturbing facial expressions. Although I doubted I would be that lucky.

We strolled up to the school together, I felt oddly peaceful as we drifted up the stairs, she was yammering on about something or other. I wasn't paying much attention, only really trying to figure out why I had this calm and composed feeling. Had I accidentally taken my medication this morning? No, I had flushed it, hadn't I?

Yet again with the not knowing, it drove me nearly insane.

"Gary? Are you listening to me?" I looked at Ivy as she had snapped me from my trance, a frown upon her face.

"No, I doubt I've missed anything _too_ interesting." The irritation leaking from my mind and into my words. This often happened, I would find myself annoyed or angry at something and I would act totally irrationally towards someone that didn't deserve it. I knew this happened with most people, the only thing different with me is I didn't bother to tell the person that it wasn't them that was the source of my irritation; I knew that they would do something along the line that would, so why bother?

I knew that what I said wasn't exactly anything to cry about but I felt there was more to come. I also felt that Ivy would be the brunt of it.

Oh well, it's her own fault for wanting to 'befriend' me.

"Well, you're in a good mood this morning aren't you?" She rolled her eyes and we continued our walk in silence. Good, it's easier to think without the unnecessary buzzing in the background.

What I was feeling was far from the norm. I usually had so many thoughts scrambling around in my head, tripping and fumbling over each other. So many ideas, so many plans… Now, all that was in my head was:

_What will I have for lunch? _

_I wonder if Mr Halloway is going to be sober this period…_

_What the hell's up with some of the clothes Ivy wears?_

Where were they all? All my ingenious thoughts? They were just… Gone. This concerned me as usually there was a constant sense of chaos in my mind. I reviled in the mayhem of it all, my best plots were often founded when at my most … Unstable.

Sadly I didn't have time to dwell on it further as we entered the classroom and I was mildly shocked to see Mr Halloway sober at his desk, albeit looking completely miserable.

"Good morning Mr Halloway." Ernest said from behind us, eager to get passed us and make his presence known to the teacher. I rolled my eyes in disgust, _what is to admire about this moping drunk? _I wondered, my gaze then drifted over to Ivy's face and to my horror she shared the same look of admiration which Ernest did as she smiled at our teacher – although she did not voice it.

"Got a thing for Halloway?" I hissed from over her shoulder as we walked towards our normal seats.

"What? No." She said bluntly, "I'm just glad to see he isn't drunk again." She huffed like a child as she sat down. I sat too, looking back at her with one eyebrow raised – she could tell I wasn't convinced. She sat there giving me this expectant "_Well?!" _look as she crossed her arms, she couldn't hide the faint blush that crept up onto her cheeks. I laughed hoarsely. "Pathetic." I shook my head as I turned around and looked at the piece of paper that was being handed out.

_More unjumbling work, how enthralling. _I glared down at the paper in front of me and then up at Halloway who was at his desk, sneaking a swig from a bottle while he thought no one was looking.

Something inside me twisted – I had felt things similar to this before, hatred, anger and such things but this was something different. It made me sick to my stomach, tense my entire body and clench my fists as I watched him greedily get as much wine into his mouth as he could at a time. "Bloody idiot." I chuckled, although I didn't feel like laughing, I didn't find anything about this situation amusing. For a moment it felt as if I were laughing at myself for being so dumbfounded by a stupid little feeling.

Brushing it aside I looked down at my work, focusing all my frustration into that. Deciding that later I would think up something really diabolical to do to Femme-boy.

"Hey… Hey, Gary." Ivy whispered from behind me, I didn't turn around – ignored her. "Gary, psst!" She persisted and I continued to ignore her, I don't know why, I just felt like it. "Gary piss off I know you can hear me." Then I turned around to look at her, she was holding her work out to me and pointing at something on it. "Is this a word?"

I looked down at where she was pointing and snorted, "No, jumbalia is most certainly not a word."

"Oh? I thought it was some kind of food." She frowned down at her work.

"You mean j-a-m-b-a-l-a-y-a?" I spoke as if I was speaking to an incredibly slow child, I expected her to glare at me but she just giggled.

"Ah! Yes, oh well, no Y's and not enough A's."

"Aren't you meant to be really good at English?" I said incredulously, she gave me a wry smile before saying:

"I am. Doesn't mean I can't make mistakes sometimes." I snorted again, disagreeing but unable to think of anything to say as I turned around, the strange feeling was back again – odd… Tingly. Was this what it was like to have someone to just… Be with? A friend?

I stared down as a whole new emotion took over me, an emotion I knew all too well. Fear.

Whenever I contemplated friendship it always ended the same, they'd find some reason to run away from me, to ignore me, ditch me – totally stab me in the back. I had always reminded myself that people were only out for themselves, no one really wants to help… And if they did then they were weak, blind to the harsh reality that is Bullworth.

Bullworth and the rest of the God damn world.

I couldn't decide which Ivy was, out to get me or weak. She wouldn't gain anything from betraying me, aside from an enemy. I was on the fence as to whether she was weak or not… There was certainly someone else hiding behind this 'I'm invisible!' bollocks she gives the rest of the school and the 'Let me help heal your soul, Gary!' shit she feeds me.

_Why am I even giving her a chance? I can't think straight I'm so paranoid that she's going to turn on me. _

_I need to end this, get rid of all these weird things I'm feeling. They're distractions, yes, distractions – they compromise me and make me vulnerable. _

_I have to end-_

The clear ring of the bell cut off my thoughts and I nearly jumped out my skin. It hadn't been that long, no way.

"O-oh, better _hic_ luck n-next time, Ga-Gary!" Halloway slurred as he clumsily collected in our sheets, noticing I hadn't written a word – only subconsciously drawn frantic scribbles in my frustrations all over my page. It seems that I had been fretting over this little problem of mine longer than it felt.

I smirked up at him; he was completely rat-arsed again. I went to look back at Ivy to give her an 'I told you so' look but was stopped in my tracks, she handed her work into Halloway giving him the same look she gave me that night on the school steps.

A sad, doe-eyed, desperately wanting to help expression played softly on her face as she turned to walk away, giving me a weak smile. When I realised my mouth had been hanging open I snapped it shut, glaring at Halloway who was hobbling his way back to his desk.

I got up, marching towards him and knocked my shoulder against his. "Watch where you're going, moron!" I shouted as he toppled over and I walked swiftly out of class, following an oblivious Ivy.

"So, where do you want to go after lunch?" Ivy looked up at me as we sat at a table in the lunch hall. The cafeteria buzzing with jocks, greasers and preps – all ignoring us to sit at their own tables. Some of the smaller kids sat on the opposite end of our table for a lack of anywhere to sit.

"Bleachers." I said, watching her as she took out her shop-bought sandwiches and bottled water. "How can you eat that crap?" I frowned at her pathetic excuse for a lunch. She returned the look towards my plate of slop that Edna had so lovingly prepared.

"How can you eat _that_ crap?" I looked from my plate to her sandwich and chuckled.

"Fair point." I grabbed half of her sandwich and took a massive bite out of it, her mouth hanging open so wide in shock and horror amused me greatly.

"You bastard!" She tried to grab it back but it wasn't hard for me to pull it out of her reach, smirking I took another massive bite out of it and watched as her face fell even further.

"I didn't think terrorizing girls was really your thing, Gary." The voice of my play-thing emitted from behind me, I felt the rest of the sandwich be taken from me as I whirled around in my seat – cruel grin in its usual charming place.

"Ah, Jimmy! So good of you to join us." I eyed him and Femme-boy up; they appeared to be increasingly concerned with the company I was keeping. "Have you met Ivy? She's just a sweetheart." I said leaning to the side so they could get a clear view of her, she was giving me a nervous look to which I winked at making her become even more startled.

Most amusing.

"You don't _have_ to sit with him, you know." Femme-boy piped up. I shot him a particularly nasty glare and I swear had he not been wearing his nappy the piss would have been trickling down his leg for all to see.

"Feeling brave, are we Petey?" Jimmy took a protective stance in front of his mousey companion as he attempted what must have been a glare, failing miserably, only achieving his usual stoned gorilla look.

"If you don't have any other friends then you can come with us, no one should have to rely on Gary as a last resort." Hopkins said not taking his eyes off me.

"Listen closely because I know-" My witty retort was cut off.

"I'm fine where I am, thank you." We all looked at Ivy who was smiling sweetly towards them. "Gary is… A dick, to put it mildly, but I think I can handle him." She shifted her gaze from our uninvited guests towards me and winked making an unwelcome sense of anxiousness creep upon me.

The look on Hopkins face was priceless however; I had to give her that.

"He might say you're his friend but-"

"Peter, right?" She began, not allowing him to finish his sentence. Petey looked terrified at the fact she knew his name and the fact that she had bothered to call him by it. He nodded quickly in response. "You know Gary, do you really think it wise to bad mouth him – right in front of him? I appreciate the concern but really, I'm a lot smarter than I look." She gave him a friendly smile which had an underlying sense of 'get your nose the fuck out of my business.'

Femme-boy looked at Jimmy for help who sighed and shook his head in defeat, throwing the sandwich back to me, turning on his heels and leaving, Petey following close behind.

"Pair of self-righteous pricks." I heard Ivy snort from behind me, I turned around to face her with I hoped was a blank expression. "What? You'd rather I went with them?" She gave me a questioning look.

My immediate reaction would have been something similar to;

_No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!_

But then I stopped to think for a moment…

"Actually, that may not be a totally dumb idea…" I pondered; I could feel the cogs in my head start to turn as I churned this thought in my head over a couple of times. I'm sure she gave me some over-exaggerated look, possibly accompanied with a snarky comment but I was far too engulfed into my thoughts to pay the slightest attention to her.

I must have been sat there for a good 10 minutes, thinking. I couldn't have told you what Ivy did in that time but I had come to a decision.

Shoving the rest of the sandwich in my mouth, picking up the other half which Ivy had still not touched and walking away without another word – I vaguely recall Ivy hollering obscenities at me as I left but who has time to pay attention to the grievances of others when you have a brain as brilliant as my own to tackle ideas with.


	7. A Promise Kept

**WARNING: Not very mature content ahead but putting this here in case.**

**Enjoy lovelies! **

My room was simple, a desk by my window so that when I sat down by it I would be overlooking the area outside the boys dorm – nothing particularly exciting happened around there, sometimes a greaser would egg this side, the odd game of football, the usual stale activities to make an example of their manliness and to pass the time. The desk was parallel to my bed which adorned my _beloved_ sandpaper-esque sheets; either side was a bedside table with an alarm clock and a lamp on the right hand side one. There was little else in my room, apart from, of course, _that thing_.

A few years ago Crabblesnitch had commissioned posters to discourage bad behaviour at Bullworth Academy; it depicted him, apparently a foolish attempt at a threatening expression on his face and his index finger pressed against the side of his nose with the caption written above and below him.

'_KEEP YOUR NOSE CLEAN, OR WE'LL CLEAN IT FOR YOU.'_

This had been put up in my room when they first came out as a 'warning.' I hated it at first and wanted to tear it down but my nurse who came in to give me my medications early in the morning was made to check that it was always up, otherwise I would have got a detention and about 3 more put up.

Even though I had convinced the head that I could be trusted to take my medication on my own and could take the poster down if I wanted, I didn't. I have a different perspective of the it. I don't see it as Crabblesnitch invading my personal space, watching my every move and a poor attempt at him being threatening; I see it as a goal. Crabblesnitch currently, I use the term loosely, rules the school – that is where I want to be. Not headmaster, just have everyone under my thumb and get there without any of them even realising.

The thought sent shivers down my spine and a renewed wave of excitement – I had been temporarily distracted by the problem that was Ivy Evans. I was intending on casting her aside, labelling her as a foolish whim on my part but now I was going to use her to her full potential.

Sat by my desk I stared out at some pathetic geek getting wedgied by a Prep, vaguely aware of what was going on but with no intention to help.

"She will get close," I whispered to myself, closing my eyes. Imagining Ivy with the Gorilla and his pet. "She will weasel information out of them." I felt an incredible feeling of satisfaction run through me, God I was brilliant. "By any means necessary…" I half opened my eyes at the thought of Ivy using her womanly charms to extract secrets from James and Petey.

How could I have never seen it before? Why had I never tried to do this? It was painfully obvious.

Jimmy Hopkin's greatest weakness was _women_.

He wanted to care for them, make them feel loved and worth something – so they wouldn't turn out like his mother and he like his father, presumably. He would never have imagined that one would betray him after he treated them with such respect and love, after all, in his small mind the only sluts are women who have been ill-treated by men, like his mother.

I leaned back in my chair, allowing the self-adoration to soak in. "Amazing." I whispered to myself.

"What's amazing?" An unexpected voice erupted from behind me. I stood up and whirled around, preparing to throw my chair at whoever had _dared_ to enter my room. I froze mid-snarl as Ivy was stood, leaning against my door-frame and gazing at me with an insipid expression on her face. She sighed heavily and walked in, closing the door behind her.

"Ivy…"I was a little perplexed as to how she could be here, _why_ she would be here. No girl ever in their worst nightmares considered entering the foul pit that was the boys dorm.

"Don't look at me like that; you had no problem just walking into my room last night so I thought I should return the favour seeing as you just left me out there."

I looked towards the clock on my wall and was surprised to see that lunch had ended fifteen minutes ago.

Ivy moved and my eyes snapped towards her, watching her like a hawk. She laid herself down on my bed - _my bed _– head resting on my pillow – _my pillow_ – and legs casually crossed over one another. "So, what's amazing?" She didn't look at me, just stared at the ceiling.

I glared at her, body tense with rage and disgust.

How _dare_ she- how _fucking dare she!_

"My plan for you, of course." A dashing smirk played its way onto my face as I strode over to her. Green eyes flicked up towards mine as I stood by the side of the bed, she didn't look remotely surprised that I had concocted a plan involving her.

"And?" Ivy fought a yawn but lost, as she covered her mouth with her hand I grabbed her wrist and slammed it down by her head. She gave a small gasp but before she had time to react I had her other one in my vice grip and pinned that to the other side of her head, she immediately tried to wriggle from my grasp but to no avail. I straddled her and glared down at her, unsmiling.

"I see I am going to have to make something clear, Ivy." I said, leaning down so that I was centimetre's away from her face. My dark brown eyes staring unblinking into her ever widening dull green, the fear in them imminent. I could feel her body tense beneath me and she tried to struggle free again, her legs moving awkwardly and her wrists trying to push themselves free.

Adrenalin pumped through me as I acted without thinking, chuckling darkly as my hands slid up to hers – entwining my fingers with her but pushing pressure onto them so she couldn't break free.

"Ga-Gary what are you-" She shouted but was cut off by my rough lips on her soft ones. I pushed hard against her, my grip tightening as I pressed my lips against her with even more force. Her lips were hot and smooth; they sent waves of electricity through me as I slid my tongue over them. I could feel and slightly hear her muffle something, not exactly a scream but the fear was still there. I took my lips of hers for a second, noticing how they already looked slightly bruised, and crashed them back down. I could feel myself running out of breath but the longer I kept kissing her the harder it was to find the will to take them away.

Taking a deep breath without fully taking my lips away I pressed myself against her, I didn't want this to end she felt, tasted, and sounded too good for it to stop.

Suddenly a jolt of fear shot itself through me from nowhere as my eyes shot open, looking in hers for a brief moment I regained my composure before dragging myself away – not taking my hands off hers. My lips immediately ached for hers again but I denied them what they desired, what I desired.

We sat there in silence apart from our ragged breathing, desperately trying to catch the breath that we had lost. I glared down at her, a sudden rage pulsed its way through me as I examined her lips again, red and swollen they quivered slightly. What had she made me do?! My eyes shot up to hers, full to the brim with anger and hate while hers were watery and avoiding my gaze.

"The only time I would allow you into my room," I said, my voice dripping with venom, speaking slowly and over enunciating each word. "Is if I were going to _fuck_ you." What were these words coming from my mouth? Who was saying them? Why were they talking to Ivy like that? "Got it, moron?" I spat the last word with such hatred that she yelped. I suddenly became aware of her small form shaking and trembling beneath me, she nodded quickly and I let her go. She slipped out from under me and hurriedly ran for the door, opening it and slamming it behind her.

I couldn't tell you how long I sat there just, staring, at the door. Nothing was going through my mind, nothing. My breathing hitched itself up to irregular heights again as I remembered _what I had just done._

"Shit." I fell face first onto my bed; I was my turn to start shaking a bit. "Shit." I turned over, facing the ceiling as she had been.

_I had pinned her down._

_I had forced – forced – her to kiss me._

_Why did I do that?_

_Why was I so angry?_

_Why did I say what I said?_

I recalled her bruised, plump lips and her trembling form, the fear in her teary eyes. My stomach twisted as I closed my eyes and groaned in regret.

_But it doesn't matter, she's just a tool, a pawn. She's nothing, no one. _I tried to reason with myself. _When has anyone ever cared when they hurt you? Why should you care?_ I gritted my teeth and pushed the heels of my hands into my eyes. **_Why do you care?!_**

I wanted desperately to punch something, someone – myself preferably. I jumped up from my bed and started for the door, intending to find her and beg for forgiveness but something stopped me…

"She won't forgive me…" The truth of each word stabbed at me, "I… Was the one to…" My stomach twisted again and I could feel the need to vomit come upon me, sitting myself back down on my bed I tried to calm myself but the panicked creature inside me would not desist, would not stop screaming, would not stop battering my insides trying to break free of me.

My nails dug into my knees as my eyes grew wide, my limbs still shaking slightly. "I've hurt her."

But she would have hurt me if she had the chance.

She would have.

She _would_ have.

Everyone does.

She is no different.

If she does not forgive me I have saved myself the pain.

But why does it hurt now? It shouldn't, she's gone, she can't hurt me, I've won.

I put my head down to rest on my legs and scraped my hands through my hair, l now dug my nails into my scalp as tears stung at my eyes. "It's fine, she would have hurt me anyway. I haven't l-lost anything…"

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It didn't frighten me, I wasn't shocked, I didn't pull away as the person wrapped their arms around me. I accepted it, I yearned for it. I slid off my bed and onto my knees and allowed myself to be cradled by this person as I sobbed into their chest, clinging to them like a child.

"Shh…" The person tried to sooth me, stroking my hair with one hand and her other rubbed circles on my back. "It's okay."

"I didn't mean it." My grip around the person slackened as I seemed to lose all my strength, leaning my head onto their small shoulder, depending that they would support me. "I… I didn't… Mean…" I struggled to find words amidst the sobs.

"I know you didn't, its okay, Gary." Looking down I saw a tear stained Ivy smiling up at me, which only made me cry harder. "I'm all right Gary, you're all right." I was so embarrassed, sitting there in a teary heap weeping like a child in the arms of someone I barely knew, but… Although I knew later on I would die of shame, at that moment I didn't care.

"You're…" I began but lost the words among the sniffs as I regained myself.

"Here." She finished for me, "Always." Her hand clasped my head as she gently pushed me down onto her shoulder, wrapping her other arm tightly around me.

"Wh-Why?"

"Because I'm a moron." She chuckled, squeezing me. I didn't want to smile, but I did, just a little one.

"You are…" I nodded into her neck. "Why did you come back?" I felt my stomach drop again as I remembered why she left, why she _ran_ from my room in fear.

She took a moment to respond. "I promised I would help you, didn't I?" She spoke softly into my hair, my breathing completely relaxed and I let all my weight fall onto her. She struggled to support me and eventually fell back, letting me lie on her as I dozed.

I don't know why I suddenly became so tired, this great weight came over my body and I just had to lie down, my eyelids felt like dumbbells as I tried to keep them open. Ivy continued stroking my hair and rubbing my back in soothing circular motions.

When I woke up I knew I would hate myself for being such an emotional wreck, I knew I would hate Ivy for keeping her promise but… For now, I slept.

I slept sounder than I ever have.


	8. Understanding who can not be Understood

**Hey! So Ivy goes on a bit in the beginning but bear with, I am quite happy with how this turned out!**

**Thank you for all your support! Review please :D**

**-Nammboo x**

* * *

He was such an idiot, such an _ass_.

I sighed as I looked down at Gary as he slept, standing by the bed, hands on hips, completely exhausted. My body ached for sleep but I knew I had things to do before I could to back to the girls dorm. I had somehow managed to get the massive 6ft 1" boy off me and lumber him onto the bed, he didn't even stir.

I turned around and surveyed the room, something I didn't get the opportunity to do the first time around. Simple, eerie, empty aside from a new pieces of furniture. Walking over to his desk I took a seat, apparently most Bullworth rooms were laid out the same way, desk under the window parallel to the bed. I felt a sudden urge to rearrange my room when I got back that night.

I was still shaking, fear still resonating through my body no matter how much I tried to calm myself. My elbows leaning on the desk I ran my hands through my hair and kept them there, holding my head up.

"What are you doing…?" I asked myself quietly, after the stunt he just pulled I should have run a mile. I should have gone begging to my Mother for forgiveness, sworn myself to the Church and become a sister.

I laughed hoarsely at the thought. Oh how my Mother would love that.

I was far too stubborn to do any of those things, too stubborn to apologize, too stubborn to leave him. I was pretty sure it would ruin my life, my stubbornness, and probably kill me – if Gary didn't get there first.

_Ivy Evans you are such a moron, he knows it. He told you to piss off, he called you a moron for staying and he was right… Look what he's done to you… _I turned to look at him from over my shoulder, still sleeping. _… But he needs my help, doesn't he? Not mine, particularly, just someone. _

I knew that as much as he'd like to make fun of me for trying to help, for being all soft – he needs help to become a person who understands himself.

He needed a stubborn moron…

_Well, here I am, Gary._ I sighed again, getting up and walking over to his bed until I stood at his side.

"We're both stubborn morons, right?" I chuckled; he was just lying there on his bed, an arm behind his head and the other resting on his stomach. I had never seen him look so peaceful before, no concentrating, irritated, taunting or angry expression on his face; he was completely relaxed as he slept.

If he hadn't just attacked me I might have said he was quite handsome, but, I didn't think that. I definitely _didn't_ think that.

He was sleeping like a baby while I was going through all this inner turmoil, bastard. I was not looking forward to how difficult the next few weeks, months – God forbid – _years_ would be but at the same time I couldn't help but be a little happy, seeing him finally peaceful, even if it was just for a little bit. He had opened up to me, completely, let everything out.

It was a little bit frightening, the intensity of it but still felt wonderful. To think that after a few days of persistence I managed to make contact with the Gary underneath, the one that desperately needed help - that cried out to me for help.

_"I didn't mean it." Gary sobbed. "I… I didn't… Mean…" He struggled to find words amidst the tears._

I believed him, strangely enough.

I couldn't imagine how much he must have been hurt for him to turn out like this, to do something like that without even realizing… I brushed a thick lock of hair out of his eye, then traced the scar on his eyebrow and gently down his eyelid. "Oh Gary…" I sighed, for the third time. "You're such an ass." The truth of those words was almost funny, funny because I was still there – I wasn't running into my condescending mothers arms… I was here, being a stubborn moron.

My fingers then smoothed over my lips, still a bit tender as I stared down at his. They too were slightly bruised, he had hurt himself as well as me - in more ways than one. I got it, he was making sure I knew my place; making sure I knew that we were playing by his rules and his rules only.

A really big part of me hated him; I hated his guts for what he did to me – what he did to everyone… But then I realized something.

How can you really _help_ someone you love? You duck and dodge hurting their feelings; you protect them from being hurt by words and layer them in a thick coat of sickly sweet compliments, and if you try to really help them then they just think you're being horrible…

I swore I would help him even if by the end he was kicking and screaming for me to fuck off, I swore I would be there even if he hated me with a burning passion, I swore I would be there no matter how many times he hurt me – because I was not going to coat him in sickly sweet compliments.

I was going to make him better. No fucking about with 'No you're a really nice person, you just need love' because he isn't, he isn't a nice person he is a dick.

I wasn't going to be soft, he had Peter Kowalski was there for him but he was too soft. Gary beat him until he was even weaker than before.

_That. Isn't. Going. To. Be. Me._ I glared down at him. _You are going to listen to me, Gary Smith, whether you like it or not._

Then there was the other part of me that wanted to hug him and cradle him like I had been doing just a few moments ago… I wanted to hold him tight and never let go.

Unfortunately, I knew that wouldn't work on its own. I knew I would only be able to do that when he needed me to, like just then.

My exhaustion weighed down on me like a ton of bricks, I could feel myself sway slightly, losing my balance.

I wondered if I should stay until he woke up – so if he needed me to be there for him, I would. Then again, he might be an ass about his momentary bout of humanity.

"Fuck it." I groaned, walking back over to the chair of his desk, picking it up, carrying it over to the side of his bed and sitting down – propping my feet up on his matress.

I took one last look at him, smiling to myself, sighing for a fourth and final time before closing my own eyes and drifting off into an uncomfortable but bearable sleep.

I was jolted awake by a firm knock to the head.

Eyes shooting open and jumping up in my seat I gasped, looking around to see the source of the pain on my head. I rubbed the spot that had been hit gingerly as I glared at a grinning Gary who was sat on his bed.

"Morning moron." He chuckled, the waking up haziness clouded my mind as I tried to concentrate on what he was saying, trying to decode, decipher the strange things that had just come out of his mouth.

"M-Morning?" I grumbled looking around the room. Sure enough, the orange-y light that had filled the room before I fell asleep had been exchanged for a painfully bright white. "Wha… Morning?!" I jumped up from my chair, apparently startling Gary a bit as he leaned back in fright.

"Yes, that's when the big yellow ball in the sky comes up and makes all bright again and scares the nasty monsters away." Gary nodded, acting like he was talking to a child. I glared at him and swiftly flicked him on the nose. "What the hell!?" He rubbed his nose, a small red mark appearing.

"Are you serious? It's morning? What time?" I looked down at his alarm clock and noted that it was 5AM. I scoffed, "Hardly morning, the nasty monsters aren't away yet, there's one right in front of me." I flopped back down on the chair and put my feet back on the bed, he feigned laughter then tried to swat my feet away but I kicked his hand.

"I always wake up at this time." He glared at my feet, lifting them up and dropping them off the edge.

"What?!" I squealed. "Why?" He shrugged.

"The medication's side effects." He said, his eyes flicking towards mine. "It should stop within the next couple of weeks, some of the side-effects stick around for a while after I stop taking it."

"Ah, that sucks." I laughed a little, earning another glare from him. "Did you sleep well?" I asked, not fully gaging whether he needed me to be there for him or he was just being an ass, I was veering towards ass. He was shifting about awkwardly and trying not to keep eye contact with me for too long – I could tell he felt guilty for what he had done, so he should but in true Gary fashion pretended like it never happened. _Of course_, Gary could _never_ do wrong.

I knew that this wasn't the case, his little mental breakdown made it very clear how sorry he was but he just didn't know how to express it.

Gary looked at me, the guilt obvious in his eyes but he tried to hide it with a smart comment. "Oh yeah, having a creep like you watch over me all night really helped me sleep soundly." He gave me that cruel smile, trying to intimidate me.

"Yup, but when I was watching you, you did seem like you were sleeping like a baby. All cute and vulnerable." I wagged my eyebrows at him and he paled slightly. I decided to leave it for now, maybe bring it up later – possibly as a way to tease him.

"Ugh! You sick-o, what did you do!?" He wailed, looking genuinely terrified.

"Ah, that's just for me and bed-time Gary to know." I winked at him, as he feigned gagging. I laughed and got up again, stretching my arms, legs and then back.

"That reminds me," he said after a few moments of silence. "You're going to befriend Hopkins and Femmeboy."

"Oh am I now?" I was perplexed as to how me stretching reminded him of this.

"Yes, less of the cheek." He snapped, I looked back smiling at him as I stretched my back again, his ever present stern glare firmly in place.

"Do tell."

"Use your womanly wiles to get information out of them." At first I laughed, thinking he was joking. The look on his face told me otherwise.

"You're whoring me out?!" I hollered, utterly petrified.

"Whatever it takes, sweetheart." He chuckled as I shook my head. I was not doing anything like that, not even for Gary.

"When should I start?"

"Sooner the better, preferably."

"You're not going to miss my company?" I turned to him, sticking my tongue out at him to which he rolled his eyes at.

"Most certainly not. I will be working on the next clique, the Greasers." An evil glint in his eye made me sigh and I half-contemplated warning my cousin of Gary's devious ways – I would have to consider this.

"I should probably sneak back, maybe get another couple hours in before school." I took his chair back to his desk and stared out at the gratified entrance to the boys dorm. "Try not to miss me too much…" I grinned at him as I walked towards the door "… Sweetie." I winked at him again then rushed out the door avoiding having anything thrown at me – but not before taking in his thoroughly embarrassed and enraged face, locking it away and making sure I'd remember it for when I needed cheering up.

I was going to pay for that later but the look on his face was so, so worth it.

Pete was nowhere in sight but Jimmy was just ahead, leaning against the wall of the car park as he was chatting up Christy, who was giggling girlishly as he handed her flowers and received a quick peck for the gift. I smiled at the sweet scene before me, finding it hard not to like Jimmy with all the stories I had been hearing about his valiant deeds.

He had sorted out Russell but continued to be his friend afterwards.

Presently I knew him to be having some difficulty with the Preps thanks to Gary's antics but, of course, Jimmy didn't know he was behind it.

Gary had given me specific orders, befriend Jimmy and slowly earn his trust then get all the information out of him I could. Not just how things were going with the cliques but personal details as well, fears, desires, any intimate issues he may have. I felt a bit uncomfortable doing this but I hoped that I would get into the swing of it eventually.

I strode up to Jimmy just as Christy waved a doe-eyed goodbye and walked away.

"Jimmy Hopkins." I said, a little sterner than I had intended. He turned around and looked at me, immediately narrowing his eyes.

"… Ivy, right?" It was clear he was suspicious of me, with good reason too. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as Gary had made him out to be.

"Yes, Ivy Evans." I put my hand out for him to shake; he looked at it for a moment as if he were unsure if it were safe to do so or not. Tentatively he took my hand and shook it firmly. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I was an idiot." I hoped I was sounding convincing, from the look on his square-ish face told me that I wasn't doing a good job.

"No offence but I'd rather not associate myself with Gary's right hand woman, I have no doubt in my mind that he would gladly brain me for it." I stood my mouth agape for a moment. "What? Is this some sort of peace offering or something?" This reluctance to trust me from the off was frustrating to say the least, I had just won that battle with Gary – could I really be bothered wading through another guys deep-set emotional issues to get to the person underneath?

"Sort of, I guess." I shrugged. "Look, I wanted to ask if I could hang out with you and Peter for a while, Gary didn't take too kindly to me telling him I wanted to be your friend and… Truth be told, I'm a little scared." I fluttered my eyelashes and gave him my best god damn puppy eyes I could muster, just as Gary told me to. To be honest I thought that stuff only worked in movies but I could actually _see_ Jimmy cave as his solid frown crumbled from his face, replaced with a look of utter defeat.

"He wouldn't hurt you, would he?" The sound of his genuine concern for me actually made my face burn a little. "What am I saying, of course he would." He said when I gave him no response. "Right, no problem. He won't touch you while your with me, I promise."

My stomach twisted into a tight knot and I felt the hair on my arms stand on end.

_Shit, you're not meant to be this nice!_ The sense of guilt that I felt was immense, even now I felt bad for doing this while he was being so lovely to me.

"Th-Thanks…" I said sheepishly, avoiding his eye contact. "I…" I began, not knowing what else to say, I could feel him staring at me.

"Come with me," he took me by the hand, leading me somewhere. "You can eat lunch with us today and every day, if you want."

_Shit._

* * *

**Thank you veeeerry much for reading! **

**Lots and lots and lots of love,**

**-Nammboo x**


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